


Esoteric

by ghee (sabakunoghee)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Crack Relationships, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Family, Fluff, Hokage Namikaze Minato, M/M, Mutual Pining, Older Man/Younger Man, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2020-01-16 11:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18520768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabakunoghee/pseuds/ghee
Summary: “If you want to keep me a fan, I suggest you continue what you’ve started.”orKakashi Hatake is a particular fan of the series; he enjoys reading the books even while in the middle of conversations.T rated | Canon/Slightly OOC | Romance, Family, FluffA multi-chapter story about Hatake Kakashi, Jiraiya, and a mutually unrequited story.





	1. Ten

**Author's Note:**

> [This Kakashi](https://twitter.com/29ghee/status/1115539563844227073) and [this Jiraiya,](https://twitter.com/29ghee/status/1115565930233221121)
> 
> Three chapters of a `what if` story; regarding the timeline, the story takes part several years after the end of the Third Shinobi World War. Minato, Rin, and Obito are alive, but Sakumo isn't - Kakashi's personality is somewhere between his arrogant/distant demeanor and his laid-back/lazy nature just like Kakashi in the canon universe. Kakashi is seventeen and it makes Jiraiya is about, forty... One? Forty-two? Well, the age gap is real tho and lol IDK why I'm writing this seriously. Thank you for advancing.

“Sorry I’m—”

 

“You’re late, Bakashi!”

 

Hatake Kakashi wasn’t lying when he said that Uchiha mastered the Almighty Push; they could literally push people using their vocals. Or maybe only _him_ , his comrade, his former teammate, the noisy and good-for-nothing Uchiha Obito. The silver-boy himself just stepped in the ramen stall, found the troublemaker with their female ally, Nohara Rin, sat side by side – who would be soon enough become Uchiha Rin, if things went well. The lady with the purplish mark on her face smiled and greeted him in a good manner as usual. A total opposite from her fiancé who now was reading the menus out loud.

 

“Sorry, the mission went rough,” said the young man in ANBU attire while taking his seat next to Rin. It was a win-win-solution declared by the medic-nin to prevent any sort of fight which could occur between two hot-blooded _shinobi_ such as her friends, “Have you ordered something, Rin?”

 

Rin shook her head, “Not yet, Obito said that I have to wait for you.”

 

“I – no! I didn’t say anything about waiting for this selfish guy!” Obito shouted in annoyance.

 

Kakashi responded by a light grunt, “Make mine the same as yours.”

 

“Hm, understood,” calmly, the brown-haired nodded. She patted Obito’s shoulder and gave her best smile to Teuchi before ordering three bowls of exactly the same ramen; a regular-sized pork broth with a boiled egg topping. She slightly glanced at Kakashi who looked restless after accomplishing his dirty task – the life of an ANBU could be tricky and somewhat dangerous. Both of her and Obito had stopped questioning how many lives their friend had taken in the silent battlefield. The three of them followed separated ways after their mission of Kannabi Bridge, and Kakashi chose the hardest one.

 

The Third World War ended with massive casualties – and Obito was one tragic story.

 

Half of his body was crushed in the middle of a heated fight. Rin could still remember how scary it was, she smelled the fresh blood scent as if it happened yesterday. Kakashi never stopped blaming himself since then and decided to leave their team in order to pursue his ambition to be stronger than ever. Rin abandoned her career as a kunoichi as well and started to focus on medical expertise. They both accompanied Obito’s recovery – which lasted not less than three full years – and it was the most dramatic times for three of them. If there was a silver lining from the disaster, that it brought their relationship closer, to the point where they spared their time to have lunch together once in a while.

 

Namikaze Minato, their former teacher, did a lot for the sake of Obito’s medical treatment. He made the Third Hokage’s ex-student, _that_ lunatic Orochimaru, restored the destroyed body part using a bold, unusual technique he himself would consider as a heresy. However, he couldn’t let his wife’s favorite student just died that easily and took all the risks. Obito needed more time to advance his ninja path but he made it eventually; he owed his team for his promotion as a chuunin, and personally Kakashi, who intensively assisted his training to be a jounin. Now that the three of them could gleefully chat in a relaxed atmosphere – _except Kakashi who lazily waited for his ramen_ – it was the fruit of their hardship.

 

“Here you go!” Teuchi’s voice snapped the ANBU back to reality.

 

“Thank you, Ossan!” Obito replied eagerly, “Oi, earth to Bakashi!”

 

Kakashi huffed while taking his bowl, “I’m not deaf.”

 

Rin just sighed at her powerless attempt to calm those two down.

 

For several minutes, the sounds around them were the hiss of boiling water and Obito’s messy eating – Rin had given up, really. Kakashi took off his porcelain mask, left him with his trademark dark-blue cloth enveloped the bottom half of his face. Teuchi signaled him by raising his thumb – the trio was his only customer for the time being. The esteemed fighter nodded his gratitude before pulling down the fabric and started eating. The rowdy Uchiha was the one who broke the silence after burping and gave back the empty bowl to Teuchi. He wiped the remains on the corner of his lips before speaking,

 

“Anyway, don’t forget, _tomorrow_ ,” he extended his hand behind Rin’s back to smack Kakashi’s bicep.

 

“Huh…” lazily, Kakashi rolled his exposed eye – his single gaze met Obito’s, which was also covered by one eye, “We have another meeting?” he paused chewing and prepared mentally for another assault of Obito’s boisterous yelling. Luckily, Rin interrupted before his soon-to-be groom started shouting.

 

“Naruto’s birthday,” said the former kunoichi, “There’s no way you’ll skip the birthday of our teacher’s son, hm, Kakashi?” Rin sipped the broth while glaring at Obito, powerful enough to stifle him.

 

Kakashi did a calculation inside his head,

 

His schedule as the Fourth’s personal bodyguard was already hectic enough and to see Minato’s face on the weekend was the last thing he wanted to experience. Kakashi was about to shake his head but Rin’s later sentence made his heart jolted inside his ribcage, “Jiraiya-sama will be present as well.”

 

Obito nearly choked on his cold ocha witnessing Kakashi’s drastic change of expression.

 

“He will?” the young black-ops muttered.

 

“I won’t be saying this if Minato-sensei himself didn’t inform me that way,” Rin grabbed his glass and gulped slowly. Her eyes returned to Obito’s direction, silently asked him to shut his mouth, “It’s been months – _almost a year?_ – since the last time he was around, I think you might want to meet him.”

 

“What makes you think that way?” still in a nonchalant tone, Kakashi rhetorically asked.

 

“Oh, please,” Obito couldn’t hold his opinion no more, “You reread his stupid novel as if there are no other quality-writings left in this world,” he mockingly smirked, “I know you had this silly infatua—”

 

“I dare you to finish your sentence,” Kakashi impeded his fellow ninja with a death glare.

 

“Okay, enough,” Rin kicked Obito’s foot under the table and waved her hand in front of Kakashi’s face. She shrugged and giggled when Teuchi turned his attention to those three, indicating that she got this. The Nohara lady was so getting used to this rivalry she could tame them both in a single gaze, “Kakashi, you’ll be joining us,” she tilted her head innocently – a gesture Kakashi could never compete with.

 

“…fine,” he finally agreed, “Merely because I respect the Hokage.”

 

Obito made a vomiting face.

 

It was as obvious as the earthenware mug in his hand. If only Rin wasn’t by his side, Obito would gladly tease his childhood friend for being _that_ indisputable concerning his… _puppy love_. The son of White Fang was infamous for being emotionless and cold-blooded; yet, once he showed a spark of attraction toward others, it was clearly visible especially from the eyes of his closest people. Obito pretended to enjoy his beverage while averting his eye into something else. Rin finished her meal soundlessly but she still observed their precious friend. They fathomed that it was confidential; not to mention that having an _older man_ as a crush was disgraceful, so they agreed to keep the secrecy for only themselves.

 

But – to see how Kakashi played with his ramen, Rin thought that it was _more_ than just a sheer fascination.

 

* * *

 

“Obito-niichan!” the four-year-old Namikaze Naruto ran all the way and bumped himself into Obito’s hug. His sunshine smile and bright personality spread positive energy through the entire house. The short boy’s grin was infectious, successfully made the young Uchiha giggled while lifting his tiny figure.

 

“Aren’t you a precious little thing, Naruto-chan!” Obito snuggled his cheek to the blond-haired kid’s and they laughed in unison, “Happy birthday, Foxy! Tell me about your wish and you can have your present!”

 

Naruto was snickering at the ticklish sensation on the side of his tiny face, “I want to grow up and be a strong ninja like Obito-niichan!” he raised his hands and his two mini-fists wriggled in the air.

 

“Awww!” hearing that, Obito yelled and spun around with Naruto in his embrace, “Rin! Rin! Do you hear that? Naruto said that he wants to be like me, isn’t he sweet?” he put Naruto’s head on his cheek – and they surprisingly looked alike, it was clear that Uzumaki Kushina idolized Obito a lot during her pregnancy, “Give me his present, Dear – _oh,_ I wish we’re blessed to have this kind of full-spirited son in the future, Rin,” he exclaimed while showering Naruto with a bunch of kisses on his cheek.

 

“You’re suffocating him, Obito,” said Rin as she chuckled and handed Naruto a simple gift box with orange-colored wrapping, “Happy birthday, Naruto-kun!” she brushed the yellowish hair softly.

 

The host watched the trio with a smiling face, before turning his attention to the young teen who stood stiffly beside him. Minato warmly gestured his bodyguard by patting his back, silently invited him to the living room, where Kushina was preparing the food and the cake. Kakashi passed the gift to his superior and Minato hummed his gratitude in response. They walked wordlessly – Minato was fully aware of what was happening inside Kakashi’s mind, but he chose not to mention anything. Instead, he stayed by his subordinate’s side, eyeing the merry celebration circling the knee height legged-table.

 

“The birthday cake is here!” Kushina’s high-pitched voice echoed in the sitting room, “Who’s ready to blow the candle?” she excitedly asked while placing the three-story cake in front of his only son.

 

Naruto looked around and pouted, “We should wait for Jiraiya-chama!”

 

Kushina was the only one who didn’t cough –

 

“O – okay, here,” Obito calmed the nine-tailed down by placing him on his lap, “We can set aside the blowing thing and say the prayer first,” Kushina and Rin exchanged looks, soundlessly admiring Obito’s hidden talent in nurturing a toddler, “What’s your wish, again? Tell your mother, Naruto-chan, go ahead!”

 

“Hm-hm?” the long-haired mother excitedly waited.

 

“I want to be a ninja like Obito-niichan!”

 

Obito proudly approved.

 

“What makes you want to be like him?” Kushina asked eagerly.

 

“Because he’s a kind ninja!” the whiskers on his cheek stretched and his blue eyes gleaming, “I don’t want to be like Kakashi-niichan – he is strong like Tou-chan, but he never smiled, he’s so scary!”

 

Rin struggled her best to hold her laughter.

 

“…I _hear_ you…” Kakashi lowly growled. Minato turned his face away.

 

“He _does_ , Foxy,” a gentle nudge from Obito’s finger landed on Naruto’s forehead – but alas, he grinned widely, “Just because he doesn’t show you, it doesn’t mean that he _never_ smiles for his entire life.”

 

Naruto blinked his huge eyes repeatedly, staring at Obito’s single eye before peeking at Kakashi over Obito’s board shoulder. He shivered at how the older guy glared back at him, “Kakashi-nii is creepy!”

 

“Well—”

 

“Can’t help it, right?”

 

Obito and Rin were surprised by the sudden appearance of thick smoke – both of them recognized it as a teleporting jutsu. The jounin pulled Naruto away from the familiar fog and in reflex glancing at Kakashi who already identified the person behind. The well-built posture crouched with a hand on the floor, his hair which resembled lion’s mane came into sight, and the most distinguished trademark – the oversized scroll hanging on his back. The muscular figure stood up, hands akimbo, smirked mischievously.

 

“You can’t just carelessly show off the real treasure, Little Fox.”

 

Seeing the almost six-feet-tall sturdy man, Naruto squealed and released himself from Obito, “Jiraiya-chama!” he cheerfully jumped and climbed the Sennin’s foot, “You’re late! I’ve been waiting for you!”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Kiddo, my investigation was rougher than I expected!” using one hand, Jiraiya picked up the fluffy hellion and made him sit on his shoulder, “Oi, Uchiha-boy, I heard you’re going to marry with – oh, yes, with you, right?” he saluted Rin before eyeing Kushina and let out another sort of grandfatherly laugh, “Hey-yo, Kushina-chan, you look gorgeous as always, and you, Minato!” Jiraiya waved his big hand, which was responded by a small bow. The look in his friendly eyes switched into a warm, calmer one, as soon as he caught Kakashi’s presence, “Kakashi,” he greeted with a soft smile.

 

The ANBU awkwardly bent his torso,

 

Jiraiya’s attention was instantly absorbed by the ball of sunshine on his shoulder. Naruto was always this energetic and enthusiastic; his extraordinarily massive amount of chakra wasn’t helping so all of them had to take a turn in handling him until his power was depleted. The overall exuberant ambiance sent a shiver down Kakashi’s spine – he never got used to this kind of… amiability. He secretly sneaked out from the current festivity and watched over them from the outside of the house. Kakashi put the fox mask on and converted his laid-back behavior into the tactical squad member’s vigilant mode.

 

He stooped on the roof and snorted – clearly refused to _feel_ anything.

 

* * *

 

The little Namikaze was (finally) asleep.

 

Obito and Rin helped their teacher’s wife with the dirty dishes while Minato put his beloved son to the bed. Kakashi landed on the wooden terrace and sat there alone – what he didn’t calculate was Jiraiya’s existence around him. It would be weird if he suddenly left, so the single-eyed shinobi remained on his very spot, a hidden smile was reflected on his gaze. The Toad Sage could feel his welcoming gesture and rested himself right beside the younger man. Kakashi silently praised Jiraiya’s stunning capability in controlling his chakra – it was almost terrifying how he could conceal his physical presence Kakashi wasn’t be able to sense him. They stared at the beautiful scenery of night clouds and the stars above.

 

“…so, everything’s fine?”

 

Jiraiya turned his face to the side, finding Kakashi’s half-masked face directed at him, “Me? The party? The novel?” the man in green flak jacket asked back, the red lines under his eyes looked vibrant.

 

Kakashi didn’t know he could miss his croaky voice _this_ much. He never felt this relieved for having his mask on, “Your investigation,” his silvery voice traveled pleasantly, “Found any threats around?”

 

“Insignificant, but yes, Minato will take care of it,” he answered plainly, “There’s no need for a fighter of your level to clear up the mess; any chuunin team will do,” Jiraiya pulled a smoking pipe from his breast pocket and flared a simple fire release on the metal tip, “You don’t mind, do you?” Jiraiya asked before lighting it up. The faint smell of tobacco surrounded them right after Kakashi’s approval.

 

“I always am ready to fight for the sake of this village,” Kakashi stated confidently, “No matter how petty the disturbance is, it’s always wise to keep a bad thing from happening than to fix the bad thing once it has happened,” his smile completely erased when his thoughtful mind casually kicked in.

 

“Do you always feel this tense, Kakashi?” the faint greyish smoke faded away and Jiraiya giggled.

 

“… I’m just trying to be realistic,” he murmured.

 

“Really, you…” the shoulder-length bangs writhed as he laughed, “Stop acting all that mighty and start behaving just like any normal teenager your age,” Jiraiya knew he was asking the impossible – the son of Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, wasn’t an ordinary person to begin with, “Try to be more relaxed.”

 

The esteemed special force member lightly snorted, “If the threats aren’t that dangerous, what keeps your inspection so long?” Kakashi curiously investigated, “As the Hokage’s right hand, I reserve the right to acknowledge any possible menaces which can endanger Minato-sensei,” he sharply added.

 

Jiraiya shook his head, “Kid,” he put his large palm on the crown of Kakashi’s head, “How virtuous of you assuming that my journey is all about the village – how could you forget that I’m also a novelist?”

 

Kakashi innocently blinked several times before realizing it, “… oh, right.”

 

“Sometimes, inspiration doesn’t just randomly come to you, you have to get the damn out from your box and wander – but sometimes…” their eyes met. Jiraiya would be lying if he said that he didn’t recognize the plummeting sensation inside his stomach. Yet, his hand remained there; tickled by the soft, silver-spiky hair, and he didn’t find any good reasons to retreat, “…it’s just right before your eyes.”

 

The younger couldn’t properly respond,

 

“Well,” by chance, Jiraiya restored their physical distance into a more appropriate range – he sensed another person’s chakra coming by and he couldn’t take a risk, “What I miss the most is in this village, after all,” he smiled – the smile of a fellow combatant, as Minato interrupted their conversation.

 

“The dinner is ready, Kakashi,” the Yellow Flash patted his ex-student’s shoulder and gestured him to come inside the house, “Get in and join them, Kushina cooked your favorite eggplant soup.”

 

The Hatake junior glanced at Jiraiya and slightly bowed before entering the house. The hermit replied with a grin, he held his expression until Kakashi sat down with Obito and Rin, then guardedly gazed at his pupil. Minato unleashed a non-verbal technique to manipulate the buzzing sound around them, just to make himself sure their discussion was out of Kakashi’s reach. Tricking Obito was easy, although Rin with her great senses could penetrate his jutsu – therefore, he would never gamble with Sakumo’s legacy.

 

Minato sat on Kakashi’s previous spot and huffed, “You know I’ll kill you if you dare to lay your hand on my precious student, don’t you?” his words were aggressive but he nonetheless smiled radiantly.

 

Jiraiya chuckled, “Literally or figuratively?”

 

“He’s a broken child, Jiraiya-sensei,” the blond man said, “Telented, powerful, but broken.”

 

The sennin didn’t flinch a bit.

 

“A broken person possesses a strong ambition to fix others – in Kakashi’s case, he helped Obito and Rin with their rapid training even after the team officially disbanded,” his blue eyes looked fixedly at his mentor, “But, no one could truly fix him,” Minato sighed, “He had a tendency to rush everything, he’s also a perfectionist and too proud of himself. The next thing I know, he became a proficient ninja, if not the best ANBU I’ve ever had under my command. But inside, he’s… _hollow_ , and no matter how much I want to deny this,” he groaned at his own thought before pointing his finger in slight anger to Jiraiya, “He’s _flickering_ – when he talked about you, or when he’s reading the book of yours.”

 

“Isn’t it good that my writings touch people’s heart, huh, is it?” Jiraiya smirked.

 

Minato’s face stayed emotionless, “You know that’s _not_ the main point.”

 

In an instance, the stupid grin on Jiraiya’s exterior vanished.

 

They both fell silent. They both _knew_.

 

“He saw _you_ through your words.”

 

“I guess so.”

 

“And there’s something about _you_ which cure his desolation.”

 

“I can see that, too.”

 

“If you can’t treat him properly, Jiraiya-sensei,” Minato’s voice went deeper in a threatening way, “I don’t care if you’re my teacher – please, stay away from him. He might look strong and stable but deep down,” he paused a bit, “He’s empty, he’s… _Look_ , just don’t start what you can’t finish.”

 

Never had he felt this much pressure from his own disciple, but now –

 

“I was about to do that, you see,” he threw his gaze inside the house, where Kakashi enjoyed his meal alongside his comrades and Kushina; how he interacted with others, how he looked perfectly content when surrounded by a few of his trusted people, Jiraiya knew he was defeated. He returned his intense glaring to Minato, then spoke in his gravelly tone, “I violated the first shinobi rule every time I see him – which I’m fully aware of,” the old man had put his bet on it, “I’ll take the risk.”

 

“You…” Minato was lost for words, “…at least, Jiraiya-sensei,” the Fourth squeezed his teacher’s arm before getting up to join the dinner, “Never – _and I mean it_ – ever, touch my trump card, unless he had reached the age of consent,” he warned him with his usual, sweet smile, “Trust me, if you do that, _I_ will know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [es-uh-ter-ik] adjective  
> understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; _recondite:_


	2. Minutes

“Too slow,” the commentary followed by a light smack on his sparring partner’s head, “Idiot – now you’re too fast!” his voice was grumpy, “You can’t be a teacher if you don’t master the technique!”

 

Uchiha Obito groaned at Hatake Kakashi’s criticism, “I know, I know! It’s just… It’s easier to fight you directly than concentrating my _chakra_ like this,” he pouted hard while rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Now you understand the pain Minato-sensei had to go through when he was teaching you,” mocked Kakashi while grinning behind his thick mask, “Leave that for a while, Rin is coming,” he added and gestured his childhood teammate to turned around. Obito’s sour face quickly turned bright. He forgot the lesson Kakashi taught him completely and approached his fiancé in his bouncy, cheery manner.

 

“Have a good training, you two?” greeted the Nohara lady as she handed them two bottles of cold tea with a wide smile on her painted face, “Have lunch together, shall we? I made you some _onigiri_.”

 

“Rin,” (over)dramatically, Obito clung onto the medic _ninja_ , “I’d love to marry you twice.”

 

Kakashi lazily rolled his eyes and made a face as if he was about to vomit. Rin only chuckled and patted Obito’s head and herded those boys under a big, shady tree on the corner of the training field. They found a space and sat together, forming a small circle and Rin placed the basket on the corner. Kakashi paid silent attention to the couple and smiled a little – he would never admit it verbally, but Obito had saved his life and almost lost his capability to be a _shinobi_. Good for him, he was an Uchiha, being a stubborn man was almost natural for him. Obito obediently went through intensive medication and therapy. It took longer than his fellow fighters, but he eventually was back in action after two years.

 

Now, that his best friend (…again, he wouldn’t confess it, _blah_ ) needed his help to polish his teaching skill, Kakashi nodded wholeheartedly. Especially when Obito said that his dream was to be Uzumaki Naruto’s mentor. Their bond grew thicker and inseparable since the Third World War and Kakashi felt blessed for having supportive people by his side. Including Rin, who always acted as their mediator—

 

“Stop stealing Kakashi’s portion, Obito,” …things like this happened quite a lot, where Rin scolded her soon-to-be-husband for ‘kidnapping’ Kakashi’s _onigiri_ , “You have your own, and you dislike eggplant,”

 

“ _Maa_ … Rin is so scary,” sulking, Obito munched his share with a gloomy face.

 

“I can’t imagine you being a teacher and still acting this childish,” Kakashi huffed as he put his mask on and hummed ‘thank you for the food’ afterward, “Look, you dropped the rice – and the filling.”

 

“Hey, hey, the way I eat won’t determine my quality as a _jounin_ teacher, I guarantee you that!” Obito exclaimed and it made Kakashi moved two feet away, “Besides if _that_ nasty Jiraiya-sama could train someone to be as brilliant as Minato-sensei, I’m sure I could do that too! I bet he wasn’t any better than me in his younger days!” his glare transformed into a friendlier, almost mischievous, kind of stare.

 

The young man in ANBU uniform snorted, “You’re nothing any close compared to his skill.”

 

“ _Ara-ara_ ~ somebody is angry,” teased Obito while sliding his sitting position to grab Kakashi’s shoulder and whispered, “So, how're things going? Have you confessed? Or perhaps you’re ready to—OUCH!”

 

“You deserve it,” Kakashi’s sharp voice followed his mild violence against Obito’s waist, “Nosy Uchiha.”

 

“Heeey, I’m just concerned!” he protested and gave the spot Kakashi elbowed a light massage, “No, really, do you remember when we visited Minato’s house for Naruto’s birthday? He was staring at you the whole time,” Obito intentionally talked in a mysterious way, “He wanted to eat you for dinner.”

 

Before Kakashi could reply, Rin interjected, “I don’t mean to support Obito in anyways, but – it’s true. Didn’t you notice that he literally looked at _your eyes_ every time he talked to you?”

 

“And staring at your ass when you’re talking to Minato-sensei,” Obito added.

 

Kakashi threw a _kunai_ at Obito as his response, which Obito effortlessly dodged while laughing. Rin eyed them both and cleared her throat. A simple yet effective trick to shut them up. Really, they were seventeen together, but those boys seemed to be not aging at all. Kakashi might be stern and stoic, but deep down, he was unstable and mournful – Kakashi made her worry _more_ than Obito ever did.

 

“Not changing at all, Bakashi, takes everything way too seriously,” said Obito with a wide grin on his naughty face, “Well, although with a heavy heart I gotta say that your movement in combat was harder to predict than your innocent gestures when the old man was around,” he teased again, resulting two _shuriken_ which he successfully blocked with a simple wood release, “I didn’t even need to activate my _sharingan_ to know where your attention was going – _whoops_!” a straight jab almost hit his nose.

 

“Shut up,” Kakashi still managed to play it cool and suddenly, they were in a duel… _again_.

 

Obito smiled at Rin before jumping backward twice, created a safe space between him and Kakashi, and then landed in the middle of the training field. Rin sighed when Kakashi, who was easily taunted, charged at Obito. The medic _ninja_ helplessly shouted, “Please don’t provoke Kakashi too much!”

 

Kakashi teleported and kicked Obito’s face right away, but the Uchiha skilfully replaced his body with a log. Obito appeared behind Kakashi and in a point-blank range, he quickly performed a set of hand seals to shot a fireball at his opponent. The ANBU could sense it right away – he converted his _chakra_ into an earthen material and blocked Obito’s assault with a summoned wall. Realizing that _ninjutsu_ didn’t affect him much, Obito changed his fighting style into _taijutsu_ , and for a solid minute, their fluid movements created sparks in the air. It was exciting to watch, but Rin, as a healer, didn’t find it near fascinating. Luckily, she brought the emergency kit with her – she _knew_ this incident would happen.

 

“Really, what’s your problem?” Obito, being fussy as he was, continued their conversation, “Also – stop with your nonsense ‘but-we-are-both-males’ bullshit! You know you always can count on me and Rin – we’re your top and only choice to share any secretive information,” he raised his left hand and Kakashi stopped punching right away. It was the signal to stop the sparring because Obito dislocated his shoulder, _again_ , but he didn’t seem to feel any pain, “Damn, this modification arm is so hard to cooperate with…” he whined as he left the battlefield. Kakashi mutely watched Rin approached them.

 

“But these hands are the best we could come up with,” she smiled as she healed Obito’s joints, “Stay still, Obito, this might take a while,” Rin hushed and asked Obito to sit down, then glanced at Kakashi.

 

“…what?” Kakashi asked while releasing his tense fighting stance.

 

“Hey, this is the perfect time for you to come out,” Obito smirked, “We’re listening.”

 

Kakashi scoffed, “I’ve told you I only enjoy his books—”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure, lie to my face again, Bakashi, this time I’ll pretend to trust you,” with his free hand, Obito threw him a bottle of cold water, which Kakashi handily caught, “The only person who doesn’t know you have this crush on Jiraiya-sama is Kusina-sensei – eh, and Naruto-chan,” he swallowed two big gulps of water before resuming his fiery assumption, “Listen, even Minato-sensei noticed it, you acted differently when the Jiraiya-sama was around the village; I almost can see a sentence written in red paint on your forehead which sounds like, ‘I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE THE PERVERT SAGE AGAIN’ – _ouch_! Did you just _chidori_ me? Geez, you need stress-relieve, you know, being all grumpy like that!”

 

“Would you _stop_ talking already?” Kakashi snapped, “This is absurd…”

 

“Aw, look at that cute pout when you’re sulking,” he nudged, “…no, really, we’re here to help you.”

 

“You’re clearly _not_ helping,” spoke Kakashi sharply, “Not with that stupid grin.”

 

Obito sighed and rolled his exposed eye to Rin, “My dear, reinforcement.”

 

Rin exhaled, “Kakashi.”

 

 _Damn_.

 

They were friends for _too_ long they recognized each other’s weaknesses. Rin and her delicate stare were one of Kakashi’s. Since she realized that it was impossible for her (and literally, _any_ woman) to win his heart, Rin turned from a helplessly broken-hearted maiden into a loyal, supportive friend for Kakashi. Witnessing how he almost lost Obito in the middle of the war made sculpted her to be a powerful _kunoichi_ with a great sense of bringing peace. Rin didn’t say anything; she only looked straight into Kakashi’s single eye and the silver-haired grunted, awkwardly brushing the nape of his neck. She raised an eyebrow at the drastic change of Kakashi’s usual composed behavior – _is he blushing right there?_

 

“…he’s not like _that_ ,” he heavily breathed it out loud. Kakashi was uneasy; this kind of talking never fancied him, it was hard for him to open up and showing his vulnerable side was a thing he considered as weakness, “I mean, he’s into woman, just take a look at his books,” Obito and Rin muttered thing like, _shit, he’s really in love_ , when Kakashi’s gaze turned softer, “But… I don’t know, every time I read his books, I almost could feel everything he’d been through, including the emotions he delivered.”

 

Obito looked a bit puzzled, “Including the forbidden scenes?”

 

Rin elbowed her fiancé once more.

 

“If you haven’t read them, I suggest you; shut the fuck up,” Kakashi hissed.

 

“To be fair, you never let me touched the book,” Obito objected.

 

 _He’s right_. Kakashi growled and surrendered, he passed Obito the book in orange cover. The young Uchiha snatched the novel and skimmed the pages quickly, while Kakashi returned his attention to Rin, “This… emotion, I experience every time I see him, is unacceptable, right?”

 

“Who am I to judge, Kakashi?”

 

Rin’s feminine voice soothed him in a way he didn’t understand,

 

“My friend or not, male or female, I have no right to criticize your preference. But, I suggest you taking a proper time to think deeply about it, you have to finish the battle against yourself before talking to him,” her tone was reassuring, Kakashi thought Obito was a lucky bastard for having this fine woman as his significant other. Rin smiled, more sincere this time, “People might find it odd, and some things take time, not to mention your age difference and any other petty things, but trust me – you’re the one who falls in love. You know what matters most; it’s not about what _they_ think, it’s all about _you_.”

 

Kakashi remained silent,

 

“For whatever your decision, you know we’re always be here,” said Rin earnestly, “I’m sure Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei would think the same way. We’re all a _family_ , remember?”

 

Honestly, Kakashi felt he wasn’t worthy to have this _much_ support—

 

“I’m sorry I have to interrupt this touching moment but do you guys mind if I add extra information as a conclusion from what I’ve read?” Obito raised a hand, and continued his deduction after Kakashi and Rin nodded in unison, “Okay, set aside the sappy characters and corny plotline, but… _This,_ ” Obito showed some lines to Rin and the _kunoichi_ frowned in disgust while shaking her head, “See?”

 

Kakashi looked confused, “…what?”

 

“Dude, _really_ ,” exhaustedly, Obito dragged his palm across his face. He shoved the exact page in front of Kakashi’s face, asked him to read it out loud, “Listen, this is _not_ how a straight sex works – you can’t just grab woman’s breast _this_ hard or shove your dick like this. If I dare to do this, Rin will kill me and I can state more than fifteen reasons why,” Rin blushed, but she eventually nodded, supporting Obito.

 

“…that’s not how it works?”

 

Obito resisted a sudden urge to caress Kakashi’s cheek. Using his fire release. His dear friend was a refined young man, if not extremely handsome – yet he never used his perfectly-build body to seduce any woman. Or anyone in particular. What a huge waste of a Konoha’s most wanted property.

 

“Hear me out,” Obito declared, “My final verdict is totally scientific, I shall add.”

 

Kakashi suddenly felt uncomfortable, but curious, “Make it as short as possible.”

 

“He never had sex with a woman,” Obito threw the book back at Kakashi, which he reluctantly caught, “His description about female’s anatomy is theoretically true, which I assume came from his massive researches and his sickening peeping hobby,” he winced, remind him to forbid Rin having an _onsen_ bath when the creepy old man was around, “But the sex scene is terribly wrong. It’s a wild ride, yes, but still, didn’t come from his own experience, merely imagination, and whoever believes that healthy heterosexual sex goes this way is totally a virgin,” Obito grinned, “Not stupid, though, just virgin.”

 

In a very slow motion, Kakashi turned his attention to Rin, who nodded wholeheartedly.

 

“I think he’s fetishizing man-and-woman relationship because he’s, you know; _not_ straight.”

 

“That sounds like a…” Kakashi felt dizzy all of the sudden, “…contradiction.”

 

“People are weird,” he nonchalantly shrugged. Obito grabbed a bundle of bandages from Rin’s medical box and wrapped them around his wrist, “Besides, he might feel troubled to write about same-sex relationship; it would ruin his reputation, exposing his biggest secret, not to mention the sales.”

 

The Hatake prodigy contemplated Obito’s words and Rin’s suggestion for minutes and finally said, “You, and I mean, _both_ of you, saying these things just because you want to put my hope high.”

 

“Na-ah, making you happy is on my very last priority list,” sluggishly, Obito waved a hand, “Seriously, _brother_ , you’ve grown up, you’re almost eighteen; it’s completely normal for you to explore your—”

 

“—feelings,”

 

“— _sexual preference_.”

 

Rin glared at Obito who eventually succeeded in finishing his sentence. Kakashi grumbled, he wasn’t sure whether to thank those two for having this conversation or shoving _Chidori_ up to Obito’s ass.

 

* * *

 

“Raaa—cheengan!”

 

“No, no, that’s not how you do it, Kiddo,” Jiraiya boisterously laughed at little Naruto’s cute attempt to concentrate _chakra_ on his palm, “Control your _chakra_ here, once you achieve it, you don’t have to sustain your _chakra_ anymore,” he picked up the balloon filled with water which Naruto just dropped but he didn’t return it to the Namikaze kid, “You’re draining your _chakra_ , let’s do this again tomorrow.”

 

Naruto pouted, he shook his small head, “But I still want to train with Jiraiya-jiisan! I know you’ll run away from the village again!” the _jinchuuriki_ hit Jiraiya’s tight with his tiny fists, and the old man had to suppress his laughter at the puny strength, “I want to use Rachengan like Tou-chan always did!”

 

“You silly little fox, who told you that I’m running away?” he brushed the blond hair of his student’s only son with extra pressure on it, “I’m gathering secret information for the sake of our hometown!”

 

“But Tou-san told me that you’re going to run away!” yelled Naruto as he tried to escape from Jiraiya’s strong grasp – but his strength meant nothing against the ridiculously tall _sannin_ , “Tou-san won’t lie to me, but _you_ always make a promise you can’t keep!” he sulked, “Do you hate this village, Jii-san?”

 

Jiraiya’s hand froze.

 

It wasn’t like Minato was lying, but how should he put it.

 

“Well… Adults have a more complicated way to explain thing, but you can trust me, Kiddo,” he lifted his little finger, “I’m not running away anymore and I promise not to leave this village. Deal?”

 

Naruto’s blue eyes glimmered in anticipation, “For real?”

 

“A true gentleman would never break a promise,” Jiraiya nodded.

 

“Forever?” Naruto demanded.

 

“ _Not_ forever!” Jiraiya grunted.

 

“A year?”

 

“No, can’t do.”

 

“Half a year?”

 

“My best offer would be a week.”

 

“Three months?”

 

“One month.”

 

“Yeay!”

 

Naruto forgot to do the pinky promise and snuggled the older man’s waist with a huge, ridiculous grin on his whiskered face. Jiraiya patted his head, loudly laughing, but his funny face drastically changed into a more composed one, as he saw an ANBU who just landed not far from them. His facial features was covered by a signature black-ops sculpted mask which resembled a fox. Beneath it, an additional layer of dark-blue fabric hid the bottom half of his face. Jiraiya’s expression softened, his smile was warm, and his overall body language was welcoming the silver-haired, “Little Fang, you’re here.”

 

Kakashi’s heart clenched a bit as Jiraiya greeted him in a friendly manner, but he quickly straightened his standing position and walk slowly toward them, “Minato-sensei wants Naruto at his office, right now,” he spoke in his usual monotonous pitch, “Kushina-san, Obito and Rin are also there. Judging from the amount of food they ordered, the Hokage is treating the whole office for a festive dinner.”

 

Jiraiya giggled, “As expected from my top student. Such generosity.”

 

“If you teach me, will I be a Hokage like Tou-san?” Naruto innocently looked up. Jiraiya’s face was so far up there, he only could see a glimpse of big grin and his white hair which resembled lion’s mane.

 

“Only if you work as hard as your father, Foxy,” answered Jiraiya, “Now, you heard him, go, go, go!”

 

“Eh, no! You have to come with us, too!” clingy Naruto whimpered as he pulled Jiraiya’s green flak jacket and gave Kakashi puppy eyes, “Kakashi-niichan, Jiraiya-jiichan is coming with us, right?”

 

Kakashi glanced at Jiraiya, who was shrugging at Naruto’s whining, “You are invited as well.”

 

“Well, then… How could I decline an invitation from the village leader himself?” playfully, Jiraiya acted as if he surrendered, “Let’s go, Kiddo!” He herded Naruto who was briskly ran five steps forward.

 

“Yeay! Jiraiya-jiichan is coming!”

 

The toad sage shook his head; Naruto was about to run out his _chakra_ a few minutes ago, and now he returned to his energetic self. Jiraiya gestured Kakashi to follow the ball of sunshine and the young ANBU agreed without any words. They could just teleport to the Hokage office, or dashing from rooftop to rooftop as a _shinobi_ usually did, but… they didn’t know, they just felt to have a long, slow walk with a little kid running around. Jiraiya secretly took a glance at Kakashi – his bright, silvery hair reflected the combination of orange and purple as the late-afternoon sunlight bathed his pale, fair-skinned exposed shoulders. Even with his face being hidden, Kakashi was enchantingly stunning—

 

(Jiraiya nearly punched his own face for thinking that way.)

 

Still, to consider the young soldier as merely ‘handsome’ was a blasphemy – and he felt how horrible he was, for letting such an inappropriate thought wandered regarding a clueless teenager. Kakashi was seventeen, if he wasn’t mistaken, meanwhile he had reached his forties. Jiraiya turned his face to another direction and decided to keep an eye on Minato’s son. To his surprise, Kakashi spoke first,

 

“He’s very much energetic, isn’t he?”

 

Jiraiya nodded, right after ‘fixing’ his erratic heartbeats, “And a raw talent, too. He’s not as… How should I say this, quick wit? To put it simply, he’s not as a fast-learner as his father back then, Naruto has his own unique way to learn something new,” Jiraiya stated, “Still, you’re the most badass one.”

 

Remembering those old days when he kicked two _jounin_ when he was barely four, Kakashi chuckled.

 

“So… it’s true?” Kakashi’s voice was too soft it almost sounded like a song to his ears.

 

“Concerning?”

 

“You’re staying here for a month?”

 

_Cursed lips._

 

Jiraya casually shrugged. He secretly thanked his extraordinary ability in delicate _chakra_ control – his true emotion was concealed very well, “I can’t break anymore promise. The kid forced me.”

 

“I see,” although his entire face was covered, Jiraiya swore he could ‘see’ Kakashi’s relieved expression – for a thing he didn’t quite catch. _Stop being this unguarded, will you? You’re a special force, for God’s sake!_ However, Kakashi’s humble reaction soothed him for some reason he couldn’t comprehend altogether. The confirmation, for him, was more than enough; Kakashi decided to continue walking in silence, and secretly thanked Naruto for rushing towards them. He asked Jiraiya for a hug and the tall man willingly gave him a piggyback. The ANBU smiled at the view, enjoying the warmth of the sunset before them.

 

For now, it was already enough.


	3. To

 “Now, you’re seriously reading that garbage in public,”

 

Hatake Kakashi just accomplished his escort mission. Honestly, keeping a son of _daimyo_ alive wasn’t exhausting if only the whiny brat would stop talking. And frankly speaking, facing another cranky individual such as Uchiha Obito wasn’t his first choice, yet Kakashi had this annoying soft spot for this _Sharingan_ -baby – he didn’t have a heart to just push him away for disturbing his peaceful me-time. The young ANBU snorted as he closed the book on his lap. Obito immediately joined him, forcefully entered his best friend’s bubble space by occupying the empty seat beside Kakashi. The park bench they sat on was slightly creaking because of Obito’s harsh way of sitting. Kakashi almost scolded him for nearly breaking the village’s infrastructure but his teammate was faster in hiding the lewd novel.

 

“Stop it, children are running around, you’re going to taint their purity,” Obito patted Kakashi’s back – or if a smack could be categorized as a ‘pat’ – and showed Kakashi his playful smirk, “So, what’s up?”

 

“Your nosiness,” Kakashi hissed, and it made Obito laughed.

 

“My, my,” the _jounin_ with his face half-covered tapped his own chest, “Tell me, dear friend,” he leaned on Kakashi with curious eye, as Kakashi visually tried to avoid Obito’s meddling, “I heard from Minato-sensei that _his sensei_ ’s going to stay here for weeks and I bet it’s because you begged him to do so.”

 

Kakashi rolled his exposed eye, “I would never do such things,” he scoffed, “Naruto asked him.”

 

“That little brat got more guts than you,” Obito mockingly chuckled, ignoring Kakashi’s death glare, “What’s the plan? Don’t tell me you’re going to let him escape the village without any confession.”

 

“Confession my ass,” the ANBU smashed the back of his fellow’s head using the novel on his hand.

 

“Ouch, really?” Obito groaned. Kakashi used the spine of the thick book to hit him; _him_ , who tried his best so that Kakashi could get laid. The Uchiha brushed his head, sulking, but he didn’t give up, “I’m trying to knock some sense into your virgin skull. You’re a young and healthy man, you should show your Konoha and _shinobi_ pride by not avoiding your sexual desire,” Kakashi was about to elbow him, but Obito’s reflex was quicker. He blocked the assault using his knee and in a fluid motion, he slipped _something_ into Kakashi’s pocket, “Your prey is approaching. Act cool. And – you might need _it_.”

 

“Ob—”

 

It was too late. The troublemaker vanished with a _poof_ and Kakashi could sense the faint presence of the Toad Sage they were talking about. Realizing that the _Sannin_ didn’t bother to conceal his _chakra_ implied that he was enjoying his late-afternoon strolling. The tall man was in his standard-mission apparel: black turtleneck, green, unbuttoned flak jacket, huge scroll hanging behind his waist. He let the wind played with his untied long, spiky-white mane. There was no need to be nervous, he knew.

 

But once Kakashi reached the _thing_ Obito shoved into his uniform, “You filthy bastard,” he growled, infuriated at an innocent package of prophylactic rubber in his shaky grip. His logic told him to as quickly as possible dispose of the obscene object, but he was – _embarrassing, yes_ – panicking, he couldn’t think straight. Right on time, he clumsily inserted the wrapper inside the book, resulting in a suspicious bulge in the middle part, which he couldn’t care enough. Jiraiya already found him—

 

“Yo, Kakashi!” his cheerful, wide smile greeted him like an old friend, a warm gesture which was rarely seen in the cold world of _shinobi_. Kakashi returned the kindness with a small curve behind his cloth mask. He stood up and bowed before letting the older man approached him, “Enjoying my new masterpiece, eh?” Jiraiya caught him holding the book tightly, “I appreciate your enthusiasm!”

 

Kakashi didn’t reply; he wouldn’t let the author touched the book for anything’s sake.

 

“You haven’t finished it, I see?” he pointed at the slight lump and Kakashi cursed him for being precise, “Well, you shouldn’t put something thick inside a book, you know, they’ll damage the paper,” Jiraiya stood akimbo, his grin was asymmetrical, “You don’t use a _shuriken_ as a bookmark, do you, Kakashi?”

 

“It’s not a weapon, it’s just—” _…a protection_ , damn, he planned to murder Obito right away. Kakashi secured the book carefully inside his uniform-bag before returning his attention to Jiraiya, “I planned to finish it today, but the writer himself showed up, so…” he shrugged, “What brought you here?”

 

“Nothing, really, just enjoying my last three weeks staying in my lovely hometown,” he laughed again.

 

And Kakashi could never comprehend how a lively man such as Jiraiya was able to transfer his radiating energy by just simply existing. It was – _different_ , from Obito’s buoyance or Minato’s compassion. The _Sannin_ was more, _how could he explain this_ , attainable, and affectionate, despite his grumpiness once in a while. Perhaps, for a loveless child who brought all dark memories from his dead father, Jiraiya was the figure he was always looking for; an adult who told him to open up and to share his burden. The _Sannin_ might’ve forgotten his own advice, but Kakashi still kept it in his heart. Since that day, he struggled to fight his inner demon. Coldness still concealed his true personality, but at least, he managed to communicate.

 

As it was, now,

 

“I assume I can look forward to another story since you’re around.”

 

Jiraiya chuckled, “That’s surprising, coming from you,” he reached Kakashi’s head, stroking his hair.

 

Normally, he would resist such gentleness. But not this once. Kakashi hummed, as he silently, _secretly_ , enjoying a simple touch on his cheek. Obito might want to behead something if he witnessed how docile the former black-ops was; Kakashi, who was feared by other nations for being an efficient and deadly _shinobi_ , now looked harmless and sweet. It wasn’t like the _Sannin_ didn’t notice – he _did_ , but for some unknown reasons, he kept on maintaining the physical contact since Kakashi didn’t object.

 

“Actually, I’m currently working on my newest book,” Jiraiya casually grabbed Kakashi by his shoulder, non-verbally gestured the teenager to sit down beside him. Funny, how Kakashi tried to hide his true nature by covering the bottom half of his face, but his eyes spoke it all. The Toad Sage _saw_ through it, yet he decided to take it slow; Minato’s menacing voice suddenly echoed inside his head and Jiraiya let go of his friendly embrace, restoring their space into a more appropriate distance, “Say, if it doesn’t bother you, Kakashi, I wish you could share me the best part of my novel – what you enjoy the most.”

 

Kakashi didn’t expect the question, “Because…” but he remained calm, his shoulder slightly moved upward, “Its intriguing plot. And how you could ‘show not tell’ brings the story come to life,” there was a slight pause, a pinch of hesitation, “…I don’t know if it makes sense to you, but I get to know you better by reading your books,” he admitted, “Your personality and things you’ve been through.”

 

“Really?” honestly, Jiraiya predicted an unusual answer from someone like Kakashi, but he didn’t think it would be this _surprising_ , “You could just ask me directly for knowing further about me, you know?” he winked, half-jokingly, even though his heart made these funny, jittery pumps he couldn’t control.

 

“How’s that even possible,” Kakashi responded with a light chuckle, “You’re not here often.”

 

Jiraiya smirked, “But I’m here, now, this is your chance to ask me anything.”

 

“Excuse me, but that would be uninteresting,” replied Kakashi, his voice was soft yet his words were strict and cold, “I have my own way to get to know someone. Trust me, your writing is more honest.”

 

“Oh, c’mon,” the author clicked his tongue, “You’re just in love with the heroine.”

 

Kakashi took his time to contemplate his answer; he _did_ enjoy the interaction between the male and female leads in Jiraiya’s book, but in a more complicated way, “Mm, I see the factual result of your peeping hobby from how you describe the heroine,” he grinned, which Jiraiya replied with a quick snort. Kakashi was infamous for being a sarcastic brat, he got it now, “I can tell that the male lead is inspired by a certain person,” his expression stayed stiff, “Again, who am I to judge?” Kakashi mocked.

 

“You notice it’s me?” Jiraiya boisterously laughed, emitting his raw energy which Kakashi found – he wasn’t really sure; fascinating? Attractive? Well, “To be exact, the _perfect_ version of me.”

 

“But I find the _real_ version of you is more interesting,” softly, Kakashi hummed, “It’s more… _human_.”

 

The innocent commentary made Jiraiya almost choked; _sweet God_ , hailed as the greatest _ninja_ and a notable novelist, Jiraiya knew he wasn’t supposed to be this shy and proud and happy to hear such honesty. Especially from a younger – _a lot_ younger – guy like Kakashi. He cleared his throat, “I take it as a compliment,” and then crossing his both hands in front of his well-built torso, “Yet, the readers always prefer the ‘perfect’ role to look up to. They need refreshment, something juicy, a portrayal of ideal circumstances they couldn’t get in their real life,” Jiraiya softened his tone, “…but I see that you’re one of a kind. When people praised me for my writing skills, it seems you look at me deeper.”

 

“We’re _shinobi,_ we’re trained to analyze, to see the big picture, and then making a decision – it’s also applied to the way I enjoy things,” his mellow tone went softer, “Perfection is also uninteresting.”

 

“What keeps you interested, I wonder?”

 

 _This is a bad, **bad** idea_.

 

Too late,

 

Jiraiya realized he made a mistake. He should’ve retreated, aborted whatever idea he had in his head, back off and never looked back. But something about that eye, Kakashi’s deep, dark-colored eye, which captured him entirely and left him breathless. Not even those girls in the hot bath could do this to him, or his former female teammate he was so invested in – no one could make him feel this way. His _chakra_ was erratically smoldering and Jiraiya hoped Kakashi couldn’t hear his stupid heartbeat. This little son of the White Fang was marvelous since he was born; he couldn’t let his guard down _that_ far.

 

“The continuation of your work would be one of them,” Kakashi finally replied, breaking the awkward silence with a smile, “If you want to keep me a fan, I suggest you continue what you’ve started.”

 

“The book,” why, oh _why_ , he needed to reconfirm, “When I first found out that you actually read my novel, I never thought you’ll support me this much, Kakashi,” said the spiky old man, “Thank you.”

 

“What can I say, you…” _saved me, in a way you could never comprehend._

 

Kakashi betted Jiraiya must’ve forgotten the day when they talked about his three former students from the Land of Rain. Back then as a new _jounin_ , he was gathering the information needed, and Jiraiya was one of his sources. It was supposed to be a formal, professional conversation, but Jiraiya shared his view and ideas – on how to properly live. Kakashi stored his sayings in his memory, kept it as a treasure; as he started to open up, to speak his mind, to maintain healthy relationships with his mentor and comrades. He learned that _sharing_ wasn’t a weakness and having a supportive environment had helped him to be a better person. The silver-haired bit his bottom lip as he spoke in a low, _soft_ tone,

 

“…taught me how to live.”

 

There, the painful silence.

 

Jiraiya stared at Kakashi’s eyes a little bit too long – and he might plead for forgiveness to his fellow Hatake Sakumo for treating his legacy like … _this_. He clenched his fist behind his back. _Hard_. Resisting the urge to close the gap between their bodies was torture. Jiraiya closed his eyes, trying to guard his sanity against his own inappropriate thoughts, “I’m glad you went to me to talk, Kakashi,” he never knew that his voice could be this delicate, yet there they were, “Still, I can’t believe you read most of my novels, though. Do you even know the meaning of age restriction? You’re not mature enough to—”

 

“I’ll be eighteen next week.”

 

“Sure, you’re – you’re _what_?”

 

The answer sent a shiver down Jiraiya’s spine. A strange sensation attacked his chest – _a week_. Again, Minato’s threatening face reappeared in his imagination, reminiscing how his student reminded him about Kakashi’s legal age. His hand moved quicker than his brain capacity to process his own action. His palm met the coldness of the arm plate Kakashi wore as armor. Kakashi was startled at the sudden move but didn’t complain. There must be consequences. Jiraiya would gladly take full responsibility.

 

“Let’s have a drink to celebrate your birthday,” _damn_. He was too straightforward, or, wasn’t he? _The hell am I thinking_ , Jiraiya’s grasped slightly tightened as he tried to mask his uneasiness. Youngsters like Kakashi must’ve had another plan to spend his special day. Even if he wasn’t that type of man, his friends and mentor would hold a small-circled party just like they did to little Naruto weeks ago. [1]

 

_He’ll clearly reject my—_

“…just tell me the place and I’ll be there.”

 

Jiraiya was about to summon one of his toads and ask them to swallow him.

 

* * *

 

“Kakashi—”

 

The feminine vocal snapped him back to reality, “Yes,  _uh_ , Rin?” the young healer stared at him, half concerned, half worried. Kakashi glanced at the other two; the Fourth and the spoiled Uchiha. He must’ve been spacing out for a while, now, that the most patient person around had to raise her voice.

 

“You’re not listening,” Rin concluded.

 

“I did,” but it wasn’t Kakashi if he surrendered without fighting back.

 

“Sure, you  _did_ ,” this time, Obito interrupted with his annoying tone, “What did we discuss just now?”

 

“I…” realizing that he didn’t catch anything, the ANBU weakly nodded, “…sorry. Please repeat.”

 

The soon-to-be teacher groaned, “Minato-sensei asked whether you’ll be free this weekend which I assumed you’ll answer with ‘yes’ – it’s not like you’re going to have another plan for your leisure time,” he slightly took a look at his mentor, who eyed his precious student quite cautiously, “Right, Sensei?”

 

Kakashi muttered an inaudible ‘sorry’ to the village leader before asking, “This weekend?”

 

“Your birthday, dumbass,” Minato didn’t have a chance to reply – his outspoken student did it bluntly, “Just in case you forget that you’re being born and not hatching from a random prehistoric egg.”

 

Rin elbowed his grumpy fiancé, preventing those two big boys from attacking each other, resulting their teacher to chuckle, “You dislike surprises,” Minato avoided to use the word ‘hate’ even though it was more accurate, “I thought it would be better if I tell you beforehand, so we’ll be having a planned and consensual small celebration,” as soon as the Fourth caught the signal of reluctance from Kakashi, he added, “I don’t accept a ‘no’ – I assigned you outside the village for dozens of S-ranked mission this year, Kakashi, this is my time to repay your loyalty in serving Konoha,” his tone was demanding.

 

“Minato-sensei…” the radiating smile of his comrade was Kakashi’s biggest weakness and he couldn’t refuse straightaway. But he tried to, “If you really want to give me such luxury, please just grant me a day off,” he glanced at Rin, who backed up Minato with her puppy eyes, “I hate crowds, you know it.”

 

“We’ll keep it simple and intimate,” the lady of the team boosted, “Just us.”

 

“Define _us_ ,” Kakashi insisted.

 

“Obviously the three of us and the Namikaze family. Do you really think you have other friends who would gladly and willingly celebrate your birthday?” Obito dodged Kakashi’s weak attempt to assault him and hid behind their mentor, “Oh, I get it; you’re expecting someone else,” he completely ignored Kakashi’s widened eyes and mischievously whispered, “Sensei, I think we should ask _your_ —MPFH!”

 

Minato blinked; did Kakashi use a shadow clone to strangle Obito?

 

“I missed something, didn’t I?” the Yellow Flash decided to look for enlightenment from Rin.

 

Rin giggled as she witnessing the sudden fight nearby, “Precisely. But I don’t think it’s wise for telling you without Kakashi’s permission, so, my lips are sealed,” she reached her cup and sipped her green tea slowly, “All I could say is… This _thing_ about Kakashi is totally personal, but you don’t have to worry; he’ll perform just as professionally as usual when it comes to his job as your personal bodyguard.”

 

“But having a mentally-unstable bodyguard would put both of us in trouble,” Minato corrected, “One day, this ‘personal trouble’ would affect his sharpness, and the faster we talk about it, the better.”

 

“I agree. However, I don’t think Kakashi’s ready to discuss this delicate matter,” Rin shrugged.

 

“This whole issue involves Jiraiya-sensei, doesn’t it?”

 

When Minato blurted it out, Rin almost choked herself. Kakashi stopped punching immediately and Obito made a comical face. Those three looked like a painting for a second and it made their teacher lightly chuckled. He waved his hand, resuming his delayed activity; signing a pile of the document he had to approve. Minato did this occasionally – brought his tasks outside for he needed fresh air (and made his former students guard him). The _dango_ shop near the village was the mute witness to the awkward silence, as Minato heavily sighed; _when I thought this trio couldn’t be more innocent_ , he thought.

 

“You’re my student, he’s my teacher – you think you can outsmart me?” Minato rolled up the scrolls on the table, eyes softened, no hint of teasing at all, “Do you want me to invite him, Kakashi?”

 

Kakashi muttered, _why you too,_ as he averted his eyes from Minato.

 

“Or – I know,” the devilish smirk on Obito’s face matched his hand gesture, repeatedly pointed at his friend’s face, “You’ve made an appointment with that pervert sage, that’s why you resisted our idea.”

 

“That’s—” Kakashi hissed, “—not true.”

 

“Yeah, we agreed to meet the day _before_ his birthday.”

 

Kakashi jolted as he felt a warm hand touched his bare shoulder.

 

Rin put his palms on his lips, preventing herself from screaming. Obito jumped backward in reflex and Minato almost activated a hand-seal. The Fourth lowered his _kunai_ and put it back in his vest, inaudibly asked his students to let their guard down, “Jiraiya-sensei,” he smiled at his notable senior, but clearly showed his discomfort at how friendly he treated Kakashi, “You’re here. I couldn’t sense you at all.”

 

“I’m just that good, huh?” he laughed, casually patted Kakashi’s back – who quickly put on his fox mask – and took a seat right in front of his (ex-)pupil, “Planning something without me around, you sly.”

 

“I asked him whether I should invite you or not, then you showed up,” Minato grinned at the big man and offered him a plate of _dango_ , “Besides, eavesdropping someone else’s conversation is improper.”

 

Jiraiya snorted, “Stop calling yourself a _ninja_ , then, I didn’t even use my camouflage method,” jokingly, he said, as he shoved the sweet dumpling into his mouth and violently munching them. If he wanted to be serious, Jiraiya could murder a group of _shinobi_ using the skewer – “Don’t pretend to be shocked, you know you’re roaming around my territory,” that was the substitute for, _‘you did it on purpose, didn’t you?’_ – but he swallowed those words, “Since I’m already here, you can drop the question.”

 

Rin gladly moved from her seat and joined Obito who already kept himself at a distance. Their instinct told them that it was too dangerous to interfere. The Uchiha eyed Kakashi with a demanding stare – it was _him_ those two deadly _shinobi_ were talking about, anyway. Kakashi shook his head; it wasn’t like he wanted to hear anything no matter how curious he was. The way Jiraiya ‘confronted’ Minato and how calm Minato was somehow disturbed him, but Kakashi didn’t know why he should felt that way.

 

“You finally made a move,” Minato lowered his voice as quiet as possible.

 

“I didn’t force him,” replied Jiraiya, almost in a whisper, “Quite the opposite, I should add.”

 

Minato saw honesty from those old, grey eyes. He had known Jiraiya for decades and didn’t sense any trickery from the way he spoke. Jiraiya always talked not only using his lips; his eyes, his expression, even his gestures told more truth. For a while, Minato looked down, pondering whether it was the right time to let Kakashi choose his first choice as an adult. Jiraiya would never hurt anyone – he would sacrifice his own life in order to protect others, Minato _knew_ , but when it came to things required mutual understanding like this, “I shouldn’t get in his way, but I couldn’t stop myself from worrying,” he admitted, “I’m not the one to give him a blessing for having this delicate feeling toward you, but…”

 

“Paternal instinct kicks in, huh?” Jiraiya chuckled as he saw Minato shrugged, “Listen, I can’t promise you anything – we’re _shinobi_ , and unlike me, your student has a strict way of living. Sometimes I forget he’s a human, being all cold and untouchable, but,” he raised his index finger, “I solemnly swear if I ever hurt him in any way, you can summon Gamabunta and ask him to devour me in one big bite.”

 

The thoughtfulness Jiraiya showed him made Minato shivered.

 

He lost.

 

“The celebration will take place at my residence,” Minato intentionally raised his voice as the signal for his students to re-join the discussion. Rin and Obito looked at each other before approaching the forum, meanwhile, Kakashi was still reluctant to do so. Jiraiya turned around and gave him a small nod, and the simple motion soothed Kakashi more than he ever thought. Seeing it, Minato understood that the time had come; he never thought the person would be his own teacher, though, but again – if it made Kakashi happy, he wouldn’t intervene any further. The smile on his face grew wider, “Kakashi, I’ve told you I won’t take a ‘no’, right?” Minato couldn’t help but tease, eventually, “Your answer?”

 

Kakashi surrendered, “Fine, but I’m not getting up any earlier.”

 

“We get it, you’ll be having a long birthday night,” when Minato said that, Obito had to hide his face behind Rin’s shoulder. Kakashi glared at his mentor, turned out it was no use, and Jiraiya laughed at the awkwardness. Minato huffed, “Right, Rin, you’ll help Kushina with the household thingies, Obito and I would take care of the rest, and you,” he eyed Jiraiya with a sharp look, “Bring him in one piece.”

 

“Safe and sound,” Jiraiya nodded.

 

The next thing Kakashi knew, in the middle of Obito’s chattering, a soft, warm palm slipped onto his hand; it startled him for a second, but he didn’t resist. Jiraiya managed to keep his face straight, once a while chiming in with his opinion, as under the table, his fingers entwined Kakashi’s tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I messed up; Kakashi's birthday should be earlier than Naruto's, I'm so sorry.
> 
> It turns longer than I expected. And I really don't know why I struggle this much for this almost non-existent ship lmao. Please support me if you like this because I need to know that I'm not alone sailing this ship. Next and last chapter would be uploaded around next week, so I could finally be free from this cursed rickety boat. Thank you for reading this far. Love you!


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